{"id":184784,"date":"2026-03-09T22:08:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T22:08:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/184784\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T22:08:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T22:08:39","slug":"army-vet-and-pinellas-congressional-candidate-leela-gray-says-shes-driven-by-the-notion-of-service-over-self","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/184784\/","title":{"rendered":"Army vet and Pinellas congressional candidate Leela Gray says she’s driven by the notion of ‘service over self’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"LeelaLeela Gray Credit: leelagray.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Leela Gray<\/a> filed for the race on Feb. 3 and was endorsed by Whitney Fox, who previously challenged Rep. Luna for her seat and lost in November 2024. Days later, Florida Politics reported<\/a> that Gray\u2019s campaign announced a $150,000 year-end fundraising report.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gray\u2019s campaign did not share with CL how it is being funded or whether she has a PAC.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She\u2019s one of nine candidates in the Democratic primary where candidates hope to replace Rep. Luna.<\/p>\n

In a Feb. 3 press release, Fox praised Gray.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen my campaign ended in 2024, I promised myself that when the right candidate came along, I wouldn\u2019t hesitate to endorse her, support her and share everything I learned competing in this district,\u201d Fox said in a press release. \u201cLeela is that candidate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gray told CL that \u201cservice over self\u201d still guides her after decades of service and that the problems in Pinellas County led her to run. Her campaign mainly concentrates on the cost of living, especially after she has witnessed the rise in housing prices and insurance rates while living in the Tampa Bay area since 2003.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gray, 59, said Congress hasn\u2019t sufficiently addressed affordability issues in the region, from grocery and childcare expenses to housing and healthcare.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is not just an economic issue,\u201d Gray told CL. \u201cIt is a collapse of Congressional leadership that permits unchecked corporate greed and skyrocketing prices.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gray believes Rep. Luna\u2014and most federal politicians\u2014have failed to prioritize residents\u2019 concerns about those issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are not abstract concerns,\u201d Gray told CL. \u201cThat is kitchen-table math, and she is not focused on solving it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though Gray respects Rep. Luna\u2019s service in the National Guard as well as her efforts to ban Congressional insider trading, she feels that \u201cWashington has changed [Luna], and she hasn\u2019t changed Washington.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

As for herself, Gray told CL that while she appreciates the opportunity to meet Ford and Robinson and respects their initiative, her experience of 14 years in the private sector and three decades in the military has granted her a \u201cunique skillset\u201d to lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCongress is broken and Washington is a tough place,\u201d Gray said. \u201cWe need someone who can arrive there on day one with the core skills in place to put people first.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, Gray, like Ford, said she believes her experience has taught her especially about holding federal politicians accountable for systemic issues which bleed into local government.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned accountability and the importance of good stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and when something goes wrong, you do not blame circumstances,\u201d Gray told CL. \u201cYou own it. You fix it. That culture of accountability is missing in Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though Gray\u2019s campaign did not share her views on gun control, climate issues or national security, a Feb. 28 press release detailed her support for American soldiers following missile strikes on U.S. bases in the Middle East, which occurred in response to the United States and Israel\u2019s airstrikes on Iran\u2019s defense and nuclear facilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve served in that region and walked the ground at many of the bases that took incoming today,\u201d Gray said. \u201cI know the environment, and I know the kind of professionals we have forward deployed. The United States has the best trained, best led military in the world. Our people prepare for this. They trust their training, their equipment and each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, this moment underscores something critical about our constitutional balance: Congress\u2019s Article I role isn\u2019t ceremonial,\u201d Gray continued. \u201cOur leaders must ensure clear, achievable objectives and a defined outcome before we commit forces into harm\u2019s way. That responsibility matters now more than ever.\u201d
Ford, Gray and Robinson will be at the next Congressional District 13 Candidate Forum<\/a> on Tuesday, March 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. The Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Pinellas County will host the event at La Mordida Restaurant Grill and Bar, located at 14100 US Highway 19 N. More candidates will join the forum, including Susan Leff, John Fay, John Liccione and Karla Kemp.<\/p>\n

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This article appears in Mar. 05 \u2013 11, 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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